Memorial

Obelisk 1914-18 1939-45 Main Street

Butterknowle

Memorial Name: Obelisk 1914-18 1939-45 Main Street (B156.01)

NEWMP Ref No.: B156.01

Parish: Butterknowle

Original Location:

On north side of Pinfold Lane in front of old people’s bungalows. DL13.

Which War:

a. 1914-18
b. 1939-45

Materials Used:

White Stone.

Inscription:

a.
To the memory
of
the men
of Butterknowle
who fell in the
Great War
1914-1918.

“Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends”. St. John 15c 3v

“Let those who come after see to it
that their names be not forgotten.”

b.
Also to the memory of those who made
the supreme sacrifice in the war
1939-1945

(Names)

Their name liveth for ever.

Memorial Description:

Obelisk on a square pedestal, total height 15 feet (4.57m).

It is on a pedestal resting on four steps of different sizes.

The whole is surrounded by a low stone wall with railings and gate.

The dedication for 1914-18 is on the front and the names in single columns on the side faces of the pedestal.

The dedication for 1939-45 is on the riser of the steps below, with the names in two columns on the riser below that.

Lettering is in black sans serif capitals.

Names:

a. 23 surnames and initials.
b. 10 surnames and initials.
See transcript.

Notes:

1. The cottages behind are called “Memorial Cottages” because of their proximity to the memorial, not because they are a memorial in their own right.

2. In an unidentified newspaper article in October 2006, it was reported that a local man, Paul Simpson, had been recording all the information on the men named on the war memorial, but was baffled by two names: Leonard Appleby and George Andrew Dixon.

External Links:

Historic England Listing.

Sources:

Photos: C. Sanders; Simon Raine; Kevin Richardson;
photo of memorial under construction: Jeanette Newell, Barnard Castle Library

Sources of quotations :
“Greater love hath no man . .” : St. John 15 v 13;
“Let those who come after . . .” from a Certificate signed by King George V and sent to all bereaved families;
“Their name liveth for evermore” : Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus 44.